Rob’s new project “The Childhood of a Leader” is from a collection of short stories by Jean-Paul Sartre.

Le Mur (The Wall) by Jean Paul Sartre

The Wall (French: Le Mur) by Jean-Paul Sartre, a collection of short stories published in 1939 containing the eponymous story “The Wall,” is considered one of the author’s greatest existentialist works of fiction. Sartre dedicated the book to his lifelong companion Olga Kosakiewicz, a former student of Simone de Beauvoir. The 4 stories are, “The Wall, The Chamber, Erostrate and lastly “The Childhood of a Leader.”

"The Childhood of a Leader"

A tale of the mental progress of a boy named Lucien Fleurier from around age 4 to his early adulthood. Lucien, the son of a rich industrialist, searches for identity and meaning in order to find out “what’s wrong” with him. He journeys from Freudian psychoanalysis and being a one-time sexual partner of a paederast poet, to finally becoming part of a Fascist youth organization and killing a Jewish man who is reading l’Humanité, with his friends.

A reviewer named Nick on Amazon wrote:

The last story - The Childhood of a Leader - is the longest, well over 100 pages, and published as a novella in some editions - is probably the most striking of all of them. It tells the story of a boy who explores himself through various intellectual movements (psychoanalysis, surrealism, etc.) and goes through many odd adventures, including pederasty, to eventually end up as a Jew hater and a far right militant. The story ends when he firmly steps into adulthood and leaves his young years behind, and decides to grow a moustache, the symbol of little boys who believe they are now adults and grown experienced men.”


Source: http://katysboys.tumblr.com/post/69663724647/robs-new-project-the-childhood-of-a-leader-is & @HoldOnToMe10

thanks to Gosia for the link